A Basque in Boise blog is written by a basque girl who is living y Boise, about her live in USA, the basque community in Boise and her feelings.

The ruleI’m lazy today. I don’t feel like writing, so I’m reposting. Besides, this one never changes, only the people involved. Or at least one of them. So, it’s been… Continue Reading

ICANN has approved .eus, the domain for Basque language and cultureLast week, an important step was taken to increase the presence of the Basque language on the Internet when, after a year in the evaluation phase, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and… Continue Reading

The Spanish version of “An Enduring Legacy: The Story of Basques in Idaho” is available for download as PDFAlthough it has been around for about a decade, I only discovered Mark and John Bieter‘s “An Enduring Legacy: The Story of Basques in Idaho” a couple of years back.… Continue Reading

Writing in Basque: Tools to get you thereLearning Basque is a challenging process, but then again, learning a new language always is. It takes time, effort, dedication and passion, especially at the beginning, when you come face to face… Continue Reading

Boise, Idaho- The Basque Soccer Friendly announces today the official launch of www.basquesoccerfriendly.com, a website devoted to providing information about the international soccer match that will be played in Boise, Idaho, on July 29, 2015 at Albertsons Stadium.

The Basque Soccer Friendly will feature a First Division Basque team from Spain’s La Liga. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) considers La Liga the strongest league in Europe for the past five years.

The opponent for the Basque team is anticipated to be a Major League Soccer (MLS) team from the Pacific Northwest. MLS is a professional soccer league representing the sport’s highest level in both the United States and Canada.

The Basque Soccer Friendly website provides the latest confirmed information in English, Basque and Spanish. The website will be updated on a continual basis with detailed team information, pre-sale ticket opportunities, where and when to purchase tickets, list of sponsors, additional events and promotions surrounding the game and general FAQs. Join our email list to receive the latest updates and have first access to our sponsor’s promotions and ticket sales.

About the Basque Soccer Friendly

The Basque Soccer Friendly LLC is a partnership between the Basque Studies Foundation and the Idaho Youth Soccer Association. Together they are working to bring this unique community event to Boise, Idaho and create greater awareness for both organizations. All proceeds from the Basque Soccer Friendly will go to the Basque Studies Foundation to support scholarships and Basque Studies programming at Boise State University and soccer scholarships for Idaho youth provided by the Idaho Youth Soccer Association.

Last year, Basque Destination put together an exciting trip based on the successful Spanish Affair’s (Ocho Apellidos vascos) movie. Now, they would like to introduce you to the Donostia Language and Culture Program (DLC), an intensive language and cultural immersion program aimed at young people aged 13-22 which combines language and culture to give a unique learning experience in one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

These short, intensive Spanish/French language courses combine learning, trying new activities, with a great “Basque” experience, learning new skills and enjoying new experiences in Spanish, Basque and French.

Students learn and live the language by way of interaction with the city and its people. Carefully programmed cultural and sporting activities every afternoon and evening and full day excursions are all enjoyed with young locals who reinforce the language progress made in the classroom.

The DLC offers a unique multicultural and multilingual experience in one of Europe’s most beautiful and diverse regions. San Sebastian is the European Capital of Culture 2016 and annually hosts a number of spectacular cultural events such as the International Jazz Festival, and the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Its breathtaking natural setting with three beaches and three mountains, its historical heritage, and its astonishing world renowned cuisine make it the perfect place to immerse yourself in its culture and language. Donostia – San Sebastian is situated on the Bay of Biscay, 12 miles from the French border, roughly half way between Madrid and Paris.

The DLC is an all inclusive language and culture program that ensures a deep and meaningful learning experience by involving its students in the vibrant life of the city. The teachers are highly qualified and experienced professionals who understand that a language is learned through a combination of academic rigor and intensity, and innovative fun. The immersment of the students in the social, cultural and sporting life of the city through day to day contact with experts and local students of their own age guarantees that they are exposed to a wide range of cultural and sporting experiences which reinforce what they have studied in the classroom.

The DLC is looking for reliable organizations, consultants, agents and educators to promote their program around the world. We offer full logistical support, publicity material and a generous commission.

You can help Basque Tribune showcase the Basque Country to the world and win a magnificent sculpture by the prestigious Basque artist Anton Mendizabal.

Basque Tribune provides information on the Basque Country, in English, but in a little different way than other sites; it doesn’t provide everyday news, but instead pieces of interest written by experts and specialists in various fields including: politics, economy, culture, sports, history, society, and Basque language and a special section on the Basque Country.

How to make a donation?

Make a deposit in one of the options offered here. (Visa, Mastercard, or Paypal).

For every 10 Euros donated you will receive one raffle number for the drawing.To complete the donation process for the drawing, please send an e-mail to sculpture@basquetribune.com with your name and reference of deposit. They will immediately send you your raffle number(s) for the drawing.

What can you win?

The winner will receive a magnificent work of art of the Basque sculptor Anton Mendizabal, called “Ezkerrez Txokora.” This sculpture is a part of the well known project “Pilotaz,“ in which the artist offers the systematic study and aesthetic analysis of the game of pelota in its various forms.

Remember that you will earn a raffle number with each donation of 10 Euros to Basque Tribune.

Promotion runs from October 20, 2014 to February 11, 2015. The drawing will be held on February 13, 2015 before the Notary Public Mercedes Hernáiz Gómez-Dégano.

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Several months ago I thought it might be a good idea to give online dating a chance. I started by creating an account on Plenty Of Fish, which turned out to be pretty slimy, actually. I ended up closing my profile because I would have cut my wrists if I saw one more photo of a guy holding a fucking fish. Someone should tell them not to take the name of the site literally.

However, not everybody in POF was looking for the female version of Crocodile Dundee:

“Are you itching for a new career? Try escorting, and you will!”

A few months and several counseling sessions later, I felt confident enough to take another crack at dating, this time by signing up with OK Cupid. The site looked less trailer-trashy than POF, and some of the guys there even had college degrees, which was an encouraging and welcomed change. I put a lot of thought into hatching out my profile because I thought that men would read it before messaging me. How naive! Girls, take my advice: Don’t even bother! Just put up a couple of pictures, with some cleavage if possible, and you’ll be set.

The only guy that actually took (what I thought to be) a genuine interest on me was an ex-Mormon father of six who wanted to start dating again – except on Mondays and Thursdays, as he was busy those days fucking his married ex-neighbor. But hey, it’s all good. They had straightened it up with the husband previous to making the schedule so he could stay home with the kids while his wife took a break.

I’ll illustrate my point with a few examples (all screenshots painfully acquired by personal experience). After putting that much effort into describing myself, I really, REALLY did not appreciate one-liner messages that didn’t touch on anything mentioned in my profile. Jesus Christ! I’m from another country, how hard is it to break the ice? I even brought up the issue to my suitors’ attention:

*PLEASE READ* Avoid a first message that only says “Hey baby” or “You’re hot”, “Whassup,” and shit like that, because the first thing that comes to mind is “WTF?”, and then I won’t answer.

I also made it extremely clear in my profile that I am one of those people bothered by spelling mistakes or reading “How r u?” on a text message – hell, on any kind of message – and I urged my potential dates to please write out their words correctly.

One of the things I loved the most about online dating is how sensitive and understanding men are.

And what about those who think they just logged on to WebMD? Apparently, no issue is big enough to share on a dating site. Or not big at all.

Othertimes, they are simply bat-crazy.

I’m sure you’ve encountered your share of shitty situations if you’ve ever dared to date online. For those of you girls that haven’t but are thinking about it, don’t say I didn’t warn you. However, I would like to end this post on a high note. Not everything sucks in the online dating world. I was able to find those well-acquainted with my culture, something that is extremely important to me.

The Basque and Catalan national teams will meet today in San Mames, Athletic de Bilbao’s stadium, at 12:30 MST

Teams from both the Basque Country and Catalonia traditionally play games during La Liga’s winter break each year, with recent opponents including Venezuela, Tunisia, Argentina and Nigeria.

Although the fixtures are not recognised by FIFA or UEFA, current players including Xavi Hernandez, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique have played for the Catalan side, while Xabi Alonso, Iker Muniain and Javi Martinez have featured for the Basque team during their careers.

“The Federacio Catalana de Futbol and the Basque FA [Euskadiko Futbol Federazioa] have agreed to play a friendly game on Sunday, Dec. 28 at the new San Mames,” the statement read. “The game will serve to commemorate the centenary of the first meeting between Euskadi and Catalunya, which was played on Jan. 3, 1915 at San Mames.”

The Basques won that first meeting 6-1, with legendary Athletic striker Rafael Moreno Aranzadi — better known as Pichichi — among the scorers for the home team.

This was Euskadi’s first game, however, a Catalan national side had previously played its first international match against France back in 1912. A collective Spain side did not compete internationally until the 1920 Olympics, when Pichichi also featured.

The last meeting between Catalonia and the Basque Country was also played at San Mames in January 2007, with current Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic and Athletic’s Aritz Aduriz both scoring twice in a 2-2 draw in front of 40,000 fans.

Nine players from FC Barcelona and ten from Athletic de Bilbao have been called by their respective coaches to play in today’s game

Nine players from FC Barcelona have been called by Catalunya coach Gerard López for a Christmas friendly against the Basque Country regional team at San Mamés on Sunday 28 December. Gerard has included four RCD Espanyol players in the team, two from Sevilla and Celta as well as players from Celta, Red Bull Salzburg, Villarreal, Real Sociedad and Getafe.

Athletic Club and Real Sociedad are well represented in the Euskal Selekzioa squad. Coaches José Mari Amorrortu and Mikel Etxarri have called up 10 Athletic players and six from La Real. The players will report for duty at 17:00 hours on 27 December in Lezama.

Athletic vs. Real Sociedad games are always special for both teams and their fans. Similar to the Bronco/Vandal rivalry, supporters of either team would NEVER leave their wagon to get on the other team’s. Both teams could use the victory tomorrow, with Athletic ranking a little bit higher at number 10, while Real Sociedad is struggling to rise up from number 15.

Boise, being the huge Basque community is it, wants to call upon all Athletic and Real Sociedad fans to come watch Athletic win the Euskal Derby on Sunday, December 14, at 1:00 p.m. MST. The Basque Center will open its doors at 12:30, to allow time for soccer fans to come in and warm up before the game.

Don’t forget to bring a dish with you, as we are also planning a potluck to enjoy some munchies while we cheer on our teams.

It’s Friday and I’m a little bit tired after getting home latish last night from celebrating Basque Language Day. However, I am never TOO tired to share cool Athetic news when they cross my path.

Back in October, the “Athletic Gu Gara” musical project was presented in Lezama, Athletic’s training grounds. The initiative has brought together many familiar names and generated great expectation among Athletic fans. Also unveiled were the main lines of the project in which Athletic Foundation collaborates, and a preview of the album, “Stronger than All the Iron”, that was released in December.

On Monday, December 1st, Basque language students will hold a joint class filled with games. And on Thursday, December 4th, we will celebrate the International Day of the Basque language by watching a new movie about Basque Country and caroling!

You don’t need to be Basque or speak the language to enjoy Thursday night’s event! We would love to see you at the Basque Center (upstairs), 601 Grove Street. The event will start at 6:30 pm on Thursday. If you can’t make it to the movie, we hope to see you at Leku Ona (117 S 6th St) to enjoy Amuma Says No‘s music afterwards.

Yes, I went ahead and responded to one of those Men seeking Women ads on Craigslist, hoping that maybe this time we’d hit it off and go on to have the best FWB relationship ever – every other week. Opening up to someone hasn’t worked out for me the way I’d hoped, so I thought I try the easy stuff. That way, when we part ways, he won’t be taking a part of me.

The guy sounded nice; not too graphic but to the point. A nicely worded ad with no spelling errors, which in itself is a rare find on that site. He turned out to be German (the Jewish side, I’m afraid, from the looks of him), but I’m no Claudia Schiffer, so we were even.

I was already on guard following our short email exchange. After a few back and forth messages he asked if I had time to meet tonight. Sure, I was at the Starbucks on Franklin with at least a half hour to spare. His response? “Let’s meet somewhere off Broadway better, it’s closer to where I live.” Oh, good for you! But “The mall area is closer to where I live,” I said, and so to the Starbucks he came.

I had to make a quick run to TJ Maxx before our meeting because I hadn’t planned on coloring my hair until tomorrow and I needed some sort of hat to cover my gray .

At least he was punctual. But that was the extent of this guy’s charm. I don’t know, maybe he was still jet-lagged from his 2-week trip to Germany and forgot his good manners and basic respect towards another human being. Who starts texting in front of a date? It is one thing if a friend of mine does it, but are you seriously going to stare at your phone while talking to me the first time we meet? C’mon, how much less of an effort can you put into a first date? Especially considering the type of outcome you’re trying to achieve!

Against my best judgement, I give this guy the benefit of the doubt and try to make small talk. I mention I was in Ludwigshafen once. Obviously, I butcher the name so I have to show him how it’s written. His face lights up with recognition and says, “Ah! Ludwigshafen!”, in perfect German. “Isn’t that what just I said?”, I joke. He looks at me dead serious and says, “No, maybe you think that’s what you said, but you didn’t.” Are you fucking kidding me? A tomato is funnier than this guy. I would have blamed this on his being German, but I happen to have a few German friends and I know they are a riot.

So anyway, about five minutes into the meeting I already know there is no chance in hell this is going to work. But polite as I am, I wait at least 15 more minutes to tell him. Why waste our time when the chemistry is clearly not there. Unfazed, he looks at me and says, “Ok, can I call my friend now, then?” Like it was a problem to ignore me before.

On the flip side, I got a cute Ralph Lauren beanie out of the ordeal, which I’m sure I’ll put to good use this winter. What’s even even better, he made me write on the blog again! That’s how much he sucked.

From the Basque Museum, here is a list of interesting events planned for the next couple of months. We hope you can check out one or two of these events that help preserve, promote and perpetuate Basque history and culture in the Treasure Valley and beyond! Enjoy!

October 18, 2014 (Saturday) 6pm – Oinkari Basque Dancer’s Sagardotegi (Ciderhouse) Dinner & Fundraiser. Help Oinkari Basque Dancers raise money for travel expenses to the Seattle Foklife Festival and other events in 2015. Cost is $50 per person ($90 for 2!) and seats are limited so get on it! Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets – TXOTX!

October 25, 2014 (Saturday) 5pm – Txoko Ona in Homedale will be holding their “Udazken Afaria”, or Fall Dinner. Chef Jesus Alcelay will be preparing potato & leek soup, Onati salad, roasted red potatoes, Alaskan cod Romana, roast beef with mushroom sauce, bread, wine & rice pudding. There will be a no-host social hour beginning at 5pm and dinner will be served at 6:30pm. The cost is $20 per person, children 6-12 $10 and under 6 are free. If you would like to join us in supporting Txoko Ona and enjoy an amazing meal, call John Lejardi at 208.337.3840 for tickets.

October 28 – November 1, 2014 (Tuesday-Saturday) – Euzkaldunak, the Basque Center, will be making mortzilas, or blood sausage for the Annual Mortzila Dinner & Bingo on November 1. If you are interested in learning more about mortzilas, helping with the process (it’s a great time with great people), or if you would just like to attend the dinner, click here to find out more – ON EGIN!

November 2, 2014 (Sunday) 2:30pm – Omenaldia Memorial Mass at Sacred Heart Church 2:30pm Join the Basque Museum & Cultural Center and Biotzetik Basque Choir for a remembrance Mass for those that have passed away in the past year. If you would like a name added to the list, please contact Patty Miller at 208.343.2671

November 10, 2014 6:30pm – “Hammer of Witches” at Ontario Basque Center. You are invited to explore an intriguing but dark chapter of Basque history through film and literature. We will begin our journey into XVII century Basque witch hysteria on Monday, November 10 at 6:30 pm. Lisa Corcostegui will present a brief introduction on the sociocultural context in which these events unfolded. We will then view the film Akelarre (1984). (This film is not appropriate for children.) We will then schedule a discussion of Begoña Echeverria’s historical novel, Hammer of Witches (2014). Book orders will be taken at picnic and at Monday meeting. The book is also available online.

November 13, 2014 5:30pm – “Mapping Basque Sheep Ranching and Raising in Idaho.” Iker Saitua, PhD candidate at University of Nevada and intern at the Basque Museum will be presenting on his research about Basque sheepherders in Nevada as well as information on those that he has collected in Idaho. For more information, click here.